Sunday, December 09, 2012

True
confessions time…I did not anticipate posting a Lazy Sunday today. Without
going into too much detail, I’m in the midst of the craziest travel month of my
life, one that sees me waking up on this Lazy Sunday from the (almost)
Highlands of Scotland, in beautiful Stirling. If that city name sounds
familiar, it’s because it’s the site of the famous (or infamous if you’re
English, I suppose) Stirling Bridge, the site of William Wallace’s first major
victory over English forces in his war for Scottish independence. It was
portrayed (inaccurately of course) in the movie Braveheart, in which they
somehow omitted the bridge entirely, but that’s a story for another day.
Anyway, with an insane international travel schedule that will have me in every
corner of her Majesty’s United Kingdom for a week and a half, I didn’t really
think I’d have a chance to put up an article this week. And with the Winter Meetings full of sound and fury but ultimately signifying nothing, there wasn't a lot of actual Tribe news this week. No, I don't count being "linked" to a free agent real news. But we were all bailed
out by a brilliant idea from esteemed colleague Adam Van Arsdale, formerly of
LetsGoTribe.com.

Adam
e-mailed me early this week with an idea; the two of us would have a “draft”
consisting solely of Indians prospects, assembling our own 25-man rosters out
of the organization. No MLB experience allowed (sorry Cody Allen). We conducted
the draft this past week over e-mail, and I had more fun with this than any
human being really should have. I built a draft board. I went to a war room to
call in picks. I called the picks in to my own desk at work and then listened
to the voice mails. I started designing uniforms for my fake team. OK, I didn’t
really go quite that far, but I really did have a blast with this process, and
I’m extremely grateful that Adam was smart and creative enough to come up with
it, because I never would have. Please let us know in the comments what you
think of the premise, and feel free to break down our teams and offer up your
opinion as to who’s squad would win a 7 game series and who’s would be better
over the course of 162 games. For the purposes of the article, we’ll pick up
our e-mail chain right after I graciously offered Adam the choice between
picking first or taking picks 2/3…

Adam Van Arsdale
(AVA)

I think
the 2nd and 3rd pick are more interesting...but for simplicity, I'll go first.

#1) Francisco
Lindor - The Tribe's consensus top pick, a potential blue-chip shortstop,
is an easy choice to start off my squad.

AL (AL)

That sound
you hear is my heart breaking at the thought of not having Francisco Lindor on
my fictional Indians prospect team. That's how much I love him. Anyway, moving
on to the #2 and #3 picks...

The Office
of the Fake Commissioner is proud to announce that Al selects RHPs Danny
Salazar and Mitch Brown. While not the #2/3 prospects in the
organization, the Indians lack of quality SP depth in the minors causes me to
try and lock down two of the better arms right off the bat to anchor my
rotation. Salazar was outstanding last year for AA Akron, helping the Aeros win
the Eastern League championship. Brown is young and has no
experience outside of the complex leagues, but he's an advanced HS arm
with a deep arsenal and a chance to move quickly through the system (think a very
poor man's Dylan Bundy). While I considered taking a bat with at least one
of these picks, the lack of SP depth caused me to double-dip and snatch the top
two arms on my board. And yes, I have a draft board...I'm almost embarrassed
about how much time I've spent on this fictional draft already and we're barely
out of the 1st round.

Ronny Rodriguez

AVA

Those were
the top two pitchers off my not quite fully existent draft board...

(A quick
rule update...in filling out the rosters, a player can be assigned any position
in the field that he spent time at in the previous two seasons, but you can't
assign him to a new position. In other words, even though I am about to select
Paulino, who I might like to put at 3B, since he has only logged time in the
field at SS as a pro, it is either SS or DH for him.)

With my
top two pitcher choices off the table, I think I'm going to have to go heavy
for offense with picks 4 and 5.

#4) Dorssys
Paulino - He is probably not going to be a SS in the long run, but he has
only logged time there in his career so far, so I'm taking him strictly for his
bat and putting him at DH (also to prevent you from grabbing him).

#5) Ronny
Rodriguez - Make it 3 for 3 for me and shortstops. But in Ronny's case, he
logged 45 games at 2B last year, so he is my double play partner with Lindor
for now.

AL

Aaaaah! My
strategy was just blown out of the water. After you took Lindor at 1-1, I was
positive that I could get at least one of those two. Time to completely
readjust my board. You know what they say, no battle plan ever survives the
first contact with the enemy.

Our little
exercise here has already made me realize one thing; there's a complete lack of
power bats in the system right now. I wanted to use this pick on a middle of
the order bopper, but I can't really think of one. So instead I'm going with a
high-ceiling, high-risk outfielder...that's right, it's #WASHTIME!

#WASHTIME

#6 pick: Washington,
LeVon-OF

If he's
healthy, it's a steal. If not, I just wasted a really good pick. Washington has
as much upside as anyone in the system, save possibly Lindor. He’s the fastest
player in the system and has more than just gap power. The issue with Wash is
health of course, as he’s been unable to play more than 79 games in a season so
far in his brief career.

And now to
make sure that there's someone to move Washington around the bases, I'm going
to select the guy with the prettiest swing in the organization not named
Chisenhall.

#7 pick: Smith,
Jordan-OF

I'm not
sure how I'm going to fit both of these guys in the same OF, as Washington's
arm is Sizemore-esque and Smith is more of a DH than an OF, but we'll burn that
bridge when we get there.

AVA

I think
Washtime could be a good pick. I'll be interested to see how Smith does this
season. You are certainly right about the total deficit of power across the
system, as well. I'm optimistic there will be more power in Lake County this
coming season, but it is likely to take a while to trickle up the system.

I don't
want you to pull too far ahead of me on the pitching front, but...I'll instead
go with:

#8 - OF: Tyler
Naquin - I was underwhelmed by his 2012 performance, but scouts still seem
high on his long-term hit ability. Couple that with passable defense and a
strong arm at any of the three OF positions, and I've got another up-the-middle
roster spot taken.

#9 - CF: Luigi
Rodriguez - Once again I have selected two guys that play (or can play) the
same position. Rodriguez has approach issues to work on at the plate, but
showed improvements last year as a teenager in Lake County while flashing
interesting power/speed numbers. If Naquin and Rodriguez both pan out, Naquin
has the arm to be a satisfactory corner OFer on the defensive side, and
hopefully enough of a hit tool to be average at the plate. Rodriguez,
meanwhile, could be a nice top of the order, CFer down the road.

Your
move...

AL

You're
killing me. I was debating on selecting one of those two, and ultimately
decided that I'd wait and take whichever one you didn't. Now I'm regretting the
Smith pick. Very few balls are going to touch the grass in your OF, especially
with Naquin in RF. So now that you've gone and done that, I'm coming right back
at you and taking the top lefthanded starter off the board with my first pick.

T.J. House

Pick #10: T.J.
House, LHP

House was
nails down the stretch for Akron, and the Indians clearly value him ahead of
other guys in the org as evidenced by his inclusion on the 40-man roster this
offseason. He's an athletic strike thrower who has the ability to pitch deep
into games, and really took a big leap for me last year when he lost 25lbs in
the offseason and started throwing from his old 3/4 delivery.

With my
next pick I'm going to reach a little bit to secure the best available bat in
the system. I'm not sure where I'm going to play him in the field, but again,
we'll worry about that later.

Pick #11: Jorge
Martinez-3B/DH

Martinez
posted a .957 OPS in the Arizona League as a 19-year old, and if not for the
superstar profile that Dorssys Paulino flashed at an even younger age, would be
getting a lot more publicity right now. Well, that and the fact he plays 3B
like he's wearing a frying pan on his left hand instead of a glove.

AVA

I was
having the same debate...but then I decided I liked both of them to a greater
degree that I could settle on a pitching choice.

But at #12
and #13 I'll go with....

#12 - Dylan
Baker

#13 - Kieran
Lovegrove

These are
choices grounded in optimism. Optimism that some of our newest pitching
acquisitions (Baker, 5th round, 2012 draft; Lovegrove, 3rd round, 2012 draft)
will have better luck than some of our older pitching prospects. Lovegrove and
Baker both got some attention from scouts during their short-season debuts and
both flashed potential in brief stints. I am hoping they find their way to Lake
County to start the 2013 season and rack up Ks while keeping runners off base
for the Captains. Not an inspiring #1 and #2 pitcher for my squad, but it is
what it is.

AL

Well done.
More upside than current production, but that's what this is all about. I'm
going to stick with offense here, and use picks #14 and 15 on Jesus Aguilar
and Tim Fedroff. The fact that Aguilar has lasted this long tells you
everything you need to know about how we feel about him; his power is more BP
than in-game at this stage of his career. He can really turn around a fastball,
as he had a few hits off of uber-prospect Dylan Bundy last year to include one
in the futures game. But he struggles to recognize and hit offspeed stuff and
there are real questions about how he'll hit at the next level. But considering
he'll be hitting off of inexperienced guys like Lovegrove and Baker, I'm a
little more comfortable with the selection :)

Fedroff is
the grizzled old vet of my group, and while he doesn't offer the dazzling
potential of a Paulino or Washington, he's a steady producer who you can count
on to put the bat on the ball and get on base consistently, and he can play all
three OF positions if I need him to.

Dillon Howard

AVA

Hmm...I
think I am going to stick with the pitching upside candidates.

I'll go:

#16 - Elvis
Araujo. He underperformed last season in Lake County, but 6'6" lefties
do not grow on trees, and I am willing to give him something of a pass as a
developmental year. Despite his struggles at times, I like that he kept the
ball in the park.

#17 - Dillon
Howard. Speaking of giving a prospect a pass, Dillon Howard was dreadful in
his pro debut last season. This, after having been highly touted and paid above
slot money in the 2011 draft. Scouting reports were nearly as bad as the actual
result, with reports on his velocity being way down. I am hoping for something
of a rebound in his second full pro season, given the potential that was
recognized by many others not too long ago.

AL

I was
really high on both of those guys prior to last season. Not sure what happened
with Araujo, as I expected him to have a breakout season. Howard was even
worse, and if that velo drop is permanent, it was a wasted pick by the Indians
in the 2nd round. That much of a drop though has to have an
explanation, and hopefully one that can be fixed.

As far as
my picks, I'm going to (finally) lock down the middle of my infield. Neither of
these guys should have made it this long in the draft, and they only did
because of our funky little 2-person league here, so I'm going to pull the
trigger on Tony Wolters and Jose Ramirez with picks #17 and 18.
Wolters will play SS for me and Ramirez will be at 2B, and I'm thrilled to get
both of these guys. It's a step below your Lindor/Rodriguez middle infield, but
I'm still pretty excited for my guys.

Eric Haase

AVA

The
2-person/25-man roster draft definitely has some quirks. I am going to follow
your lead and move towards finishing my infield.

#20 - Eric
Haase, C: Yet another high-risk, (maybe) high reward pick from me. The
Indians have been slow with Haase as a high school pick out of a Northern
state, but scouts have been impressed with his plate approach and power
potential. I would like to see him start the year in Lake County and get into
real action this season.

#21 - Giovanny
Urshela, 3B: Scouts seem to universally praise Urshela's defense and
universally believe his plate approach is going to be brutally exploited at the
AA level by better breaking stuff. I like the idea of a strong defense corner
infielder and was impressed by his second half adjustments in pitching-friendly
Carolina last year. He actually put up equivalent power numbers to Aguilar in
the same environment.

AL

Ok, my
heart is officially broken. Haase is one of my favorite players in the org, and
I was counting on stealing him in one of the later rounds. I fell in love with
him during spring training last year watching him smoke balls off the RF fence
with a simple, compact swing that generated more opposite field power than I
thought possible out of a kid his size. Really, really, really excited about
this kid. I love catchers regardless, but his offense/defense profile has me
drooling. Let's move on before he decides to take a restraining order out on
me.

I knew
you'd take Urshela. Love the glove, cautiously optimistic on the bat after (as
you said) last year's improvement in a pitcher-friendly environment.

With the
22nd pick, I'm going to try and steal another guy you like and select OF Carlos
Moncrief. Love the power/speed combo and the cannon throwing arm in RF, and
he's another guy that can play all three OF positions.

With #23,
I'm going to take a guy expressly to counter your team and select catcher Roberto
Perez. You've got a ton of speed on your roster, and I need a guy who can
shut down your running game. Plus I'm getting sick of losing my favorite guys
to you, and want to ensure I get my boy 'Berto. His offensive profile is
below-average, but he can take a walk and his defense makes up for the
offensive shortcomings. He may never be a starter in the show, but he’s got a
chance to have a long career as a defense-oriented backup.

AVA

Argh....Carlos Moncrief is my Eric Haase. I
recognize he's got significant holes that stack the odds against him....but I
love his tools. I was hoping to take him as my RF. Ok...calming
my nerves. I am going to go with the following:

Austin Adams

#24: Austin
Adams, RHP - Following a minor breakout season in 2011, in which Adams
transitioned into a full-time starter and struck out nearly a batter an inning
(with the help of a mid-90s fastball), Adams 2012 season was derailed by a
shoulder impingement that required surgery. That is obviously not a good sign
for a converted starting pitcher, but I am willing to make the gamble on the
strength of his raw stuff as a 5th starter or potential bullpen role.

#25: Anthony
Santander, OF - My team is going to need a Spanish-speaking coach (and
possibly a high school guidance counselor) given the heavy dose of young,
international free agents I am filling the roster with. Santander was not an
unknown coming out of Venezuela, having signed a six-figure bonus, but
nevertheless he showed better potential than scouts anticipated last year with
the Indians Arizona rookie-league squad. As a 17-year old, Santander's .305/.381/.494
batting line revealed a potentially strong set of fundamentals. It will be
interesting to see how much the Indians challenge Santander with their
placement this coming season and whether he is able to continue his 2012
caliber of play.

AL

Ha! I'd be
lying if I said I didn't do that on purpose. What are the rules for post-draft
trading? I'll give you Moncrief and a PTBNL for Haase.

Like them
both. Adams can always play SS for you in a pinch, if all of your 15 shortstops
get hurt (still bitter). The only thing that scares me about him is that it was
a shoulder, not an elbow, and shoulders are much more difficult to come back
from (I know from experience). Santander was another guy I really wanted, love
his potential and approach as a 17 year old.

I'm going to make another move to shore up my rotation here first and use the
#26 pick to select lefty T.J. McFarland* with the 26th pick. Another guy
who pounds the strike zone and does a nice job keeping the ball on the ground
and in the ballpark, he had a solid year at AAA Columbus and was (for me) a
surprise non-add to the 40-man roster. If anyone gets selected in the Rule 5
draft from the Indians, I think it's McFarland.

*Edit: McFarland was in fact selected by the Orioles in the Rule 5 Draft earlier this week. There's still a chance he's returned to the Indians at some point this year though, so for now I'm going to keep him on my squad.

With pick
#27, I'm going to take 1B/C Chun Chen. His HR power fell off last
year, but he hit plenty of doubles and gets on base. As catchers go, he's a
decent first baseman, but that's why I have Roberto

Perez. Chen can DH or play
1B to give Aguilar a rest, and it gets another bat in my lineup.

Bryce Stowell

AVA

Ooh...this
seems to be getting personal. And I don't seem to have a 1B. Much like the real
organization, first base will just have to wait.

#28: CC
Lee, RHP - Another pitcher coming off an injury, Lee has averaged 11Ks per
9 innings throughout his minor league career. Once healthy, I imagine it will
take little time for him to find his way into Cleveland's bullpen rotation,
particularly if part of Cleveland's backend gets traded this off-season.

#29: Bryce
Stowell, RHP - Stowell has been less consistent than CC Lee, but has put up
even bigger strikeout numbers. Coming back from injury last season, Stowell
struck out 44 batters in just 29 innings for Akron, giving him the highest
K-rate of any pitcher in the organization.

AL

I wonder
if the Indians haven't picked up a legit 1B/LF prospect because they assume
that's easy to do, and they've concentrated on up the middle talent which is
traditionally more difficult to procure. They have a nice stable of MI, CF and
C, but not much in the corners. Anyway, I digress.

You and I
think very much alike. Those are my two favorite relievers in the system, but
with the position being as deep as it is I was willing to wait. Now that you've
broken the seal now though, allow me to select RP Shawn Armstrong with
pick #30. Armstrong impressed across three levels last year, posting a 1.55 ERA
in 67 2/3 IP with 78 K. I'll be happy to call him my closer.

Jordan Cooper

Pick #31
is another personal fav, a guy I might be higher on than some. Jordan Cooper,
RHP out of Wichita State. He went 9-7 with a 3.54 ERA for Carolina last year,
and he's my sleeper pick for breakout player of the year in the system in 2013.
Again, probably higher than he is on your board, but he's one of those guys I'd
really kick myself for if I missed out on him.

AVA

I'm glad
to hear you are high on Cooper. We could use a few more pitching prospects. I
feel it is getting unfair of me to go on without someone at 1B. And yet...I
don't like my options.

So I will
go:

#32: Alex
Monsalve, C - Monsalve has nice size and showed progress in 2012 both
behind the plate (21>26 CS%, 20>10 PB) and at the plate. He has done well
in the AFL this off-season, hopefully setting him up for something of a real
breakout in 2013. As it stands, he'll be my backup catcher.

#33: D'Vone
McClure, OF - You took my other toolsy OF choice, so I'll take 2012 draftee
McClure to serve as my 4th OF. I imagine he won't see action till Mahoning
Valley gets started, but he could be interesting to follow late in the summer.

AL

I'm
irrationally low on Monsalve. I just don't see what some people see on him,
especially Jonathan Mayo who consistently ranks him in the top-10 in the
organization. He's too lackadaisical behind the plate for my taste, and I admit
that is a personal bias. Love McClure though, and he was definitely a target of
mine.

Continuing
to build my bullpen, I'm going to take righty Tyler Sturdevant with pick
#34, and lefty Eric Berger with pick #35. Sturdevant came back healthy
last season to finish at AAA, and his cutter is a legit strikeout pitch. There
are several relievers in the system I like more than Berger, but he has the
distinct advantage of being able to deliver a baseball with his left hand. None
of the other relievers I like are able to do that, so in order to play a
matchup game that Mike Hargarove would love, I'm going to need at least one
southpaw in the pen.

Trey Haley

AVA

I was
hoping to nab Berger for the back of my pen/swing-starter later in the draft. I
would like to see him in Cleveland this year to see what he can do.

#36 - Robel
Garcia, MI - Continuing my trend of stockpiling young, international
middle infielders, I'll go with Garcia, despite his terrible 2012 campaign.
After mashing the ball in the AZL in 2011, Garcia was outmatched throughout the
entire season in Lake County. The placement was aggressive, though, and I'm
hoping for a rebound in 2013.

#37 - Trey
Haley, RHP - It is hard to know what to make of Haley given his
inconsistency, injuries, periodic dreadfulness and impressive raw stuff. Last
season he finally seemed to be putting some of it together, though, with 49Ks
in 38 innings. And he is still just 22.

AL

If I
didn't take Berger, I was going to take Haley. The lefty thing trumped the 100
MPH fastball thing, but barely.

#38 - Tyler
Holt, OF - Another guy with the defensive chops to play CF, and a burner
off the bench. He stole 29 bases last year and posted a .340 OBP. He's a hard
worker and had a solid AFL campaign as well.

#39 - Alex
Lavisky, C - With Roberto Perez as my starter, I need a hitter as my backup
C. Lavisky has prodigious power, but it hasn't shown up in game situations yet
because he simply strikes out too much. The raw tools are there for him to be
an impact catcher on both sides of the dish, but his hit tool needs to take a
big step forward for that to happen. Still, I like the tools and the
intangibles, and I plan on hiring Dave Wallace as part of my coaching staff to
help him along.

AVA

You are
not kidding about the lack of left-handers.

#40 - Giovanni
Soto, LHP - Soto will serve the long-man relief/6th starter role for me.
Soto's numbers coming back from injury last season were not great, and his raw
stuff is not equivalent to some others, but he has had success.

#41 - Matt
Packer, LHP - Packer probably bumps Adams out of my rotation and occupies
the 5th starter spot. Again, the raw stuff, particularly his fastball, raises
doubts. Thus far he has found success by utilizing his changeup against weak
competition. This season should be a good test for him. His control gives him
the potential to turn into something Tomlin-esque, though.

Justin Toole

AL

I see Soto
as a future Raffy Perez. They even look physically similar. The velo just isn't
there to consistently miss bats in the show, but I think he can be a two-pitch
guy out of the bullpen. Packer never walks anyone and keeps the ball in the
ballpark. What's not to like?

#43 - Justin
Toole, 1B/2B/3B/SS/C/LF/CF/RF/RP - He's a high-character, high-effort guy
who's great in the clubhouse and can play any position on the field. Literally,
any position on the field. I could not in good conscience field a team without
Justin Toole on it. Plus, he won the Bob Feller Award as the top prep pitcher in
the state of Iowa. Bob Feller!

AVA

If he
hadn't gotten a few ABs in Cleveland last year, I go with yet another SS, Juan
Diaz. Instead...

#44 - Claudio
Bautista, MI - How can I not select still one more young, Latin,
middle-infielder. I actually know very little about Bautista, except that he
was 18 all of last season, showed decent fundamentals at the plate, good speed,
surprised with 6 HRs. I'll be interested where he gets placed in 2013.

#45 - Mason
Radeke, RHP - Another guy who can serve as a bullpen/rotation swing
pitcher, Radeke had a sneakily good 2012. In 115 innings (split between 13
starts and 18 relief outings), Radeke struck out 119 batters and had a 4.5:1
K/BB ratio. His hit rate (7.5/9IP) is unlikely to be sustainable, but I expect
to hear a bit more about Radeke this season.

Cole Cook

AL

Yeah, I
would have taken Diaz off the board by now as well. I don't know much about
Bautista either, but I also love Radeke. Specifically, I love Radeke's
strikeout ratio.

#46 - Yan
Gomes, 1B/C - I'm taking the best remaining bat available (as far as I can
tell) with no worry about position because I have Toole Time to play wherever,
whenever. Gomes has a career .828 OPS in the minors, and although that was
slightly inflated by his Las Vegas numbers last year it's still pretty solid.
This also means I'm going with an 11-man pitching staff.

#47 - Cole
Cook, RP/SP - Since I am going with the 11 man staff, I need a reliever who
can be stretched out if necessary, and that guy is going to be Cook. One of the
more entertaining follows on Twitter in the system, Cook had a quietly solid
campaign in 2012, posting a 2.64 ERA with 64 K and 26 BB in 78 1/3 IP
between four levels, including 12 scoreless innings in AAA.

AVA

I probably
should have drafted Gomes earlier to be my first baseman. Oh well. Instead I'll
go with:

#48 - Lars
Anderson, 1B - It came down to a choice between Adam Abraham and Anderson
for this pick. Abraham is the organizational soldier, and though half a year
older, has more than 1000 fewer plate appearances in the minors. He is also
more versatile and on a better trajectory. But I'll go with Anderson, his
pedigree, and his solid fundamentals. Not a great sign that I'm picking my
starting 1B 48th in the draft.

#49 - Loek
Van Mil, RHP - Guilty pleasure territory here. There are better arms
available, but no bigger arms. Van Mil's performance as a 7'1" reclamation
project last year was eye-opening. If the Indians can get consistency out of
him, he is a real weapon given his size and the different perspective he forces
hitters to confront.

.AL

I can't believe you didn't use his
full name. Ludovicus Jacobus Maria Van Mil. I spell the whole thing out in all
of my articles, simply because I want my broadcaster to have to call him by his
full name when he comes lumbering in from the bullpen. I can just imagine the
look on a hitters face when Zydrunas Illgauskus comes in to face him in the 8th
inning of a game...priceless.

Options abound here to fill my final
bullpen slot, which shows you just how much bullpen depth there is in the
system and why you should always trade RP at their peak value. I considered
Fabio Martinez, because he throws high-90's heat and his name is almost as cool
as Ludovicus Jacobus Maria Van Mil. Thought about Bryan Price and Jeff Johnson,
but ultimately narrowed my choice down to either Cody Anderson or Rob Bryson.
Drumroll please....

Rob Bryson

#50 - Rob Bryson, RP - He's another guy I like more than most, because I
think his control problems last year were an abberation. It jumped more than 2
walks per 9, and I think he has some of the best raw stuff in the system with
his fastball/slider combo so if he can start pitching in the strike zone again,
this is a solid selection. If he keeps walking more than 5/9, then I wasted my
last pick.

Wait, last pick? Hang on just a
second, this team needs a manager!

#51 - Dave Wallace, Carolina - Although former Marlins skipper Edwin
Rodriguez is tempting, I have too many catchers on my squad not to take
Wallace. He's a high-energy, entertaining guy who's fun to listen to in the
dugout, and the highlight of my spring training trip is always getting to talk
to Wallace about the catchers in the system. Plus, Mudcats radio guy Darren Headrick comes as a package
deal, and I very much enjoy his work as well. Headrick is a first-class guy who
treats me right every time I see the Mudcats play, even if he is an SEC
football fan.

Tony Wolters

So here's my final squad:

1.Washington-CF*

2.Wolters-SS*

3.Chen-DH

4.Aguilar-1B

5.Smith-RF*

6.Martinez-3B

7.Fedroff-LF*

8.Ramirez-2B

9.Perez-C

BN:
Moncrief*

BN:
Holt

BN:
Lavisky

BN:
Toole

BN: Gomes

1.Salazar

2.Brown

3.House

4.McFarland

5.Cooper

CL:
Armstrong

SU:
Berger

SU:
Sturdevant

SU:
Sides

SU:
Bryson

LR:
Cook

Manager:
Wallace

I'll probably have Moncrief start in RF against some
righties, sliding Smith to DH. I have too many C/1B types, and would need to make a move if one of
my infielders went down. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with my squad.

AVA

Luigi Rodriguez

So here's my final squad:

1.L. Rodriguez-CF(s)

2.D. Paulino -DH

3.F. Lindor-SS(s)

4.R. Rodriguez -2B

5.T. Naquin -RF*

6.G. Urshela -3B

7.L. Anderson -1B*

8.A. Santander-LF(s)

9.E. Haase -C

4OF:
D. McClure

BC:
A. Monsalve

UI:
R. Garcia

UI:
C. Bautista

1.D. Baker

2.K. Lovegrove

3.E. Araujo

4.D. Howard

5.M. Packer

6. A. Adams

CL:
C.C. Lee

SU:
B. Stowell

SU:
T. Haley

SU:
M. Radeke

SU: L. Van Mil

LR:
G. Soto

Manager: Albert Belle (that’s right)

My squad is absurdly young. If you leave out the relief
pitchers, the average playing age for 2012 was 19. Only Lars Anderson played
last season at an official age over 20. That might be hopeful, but it probably
is not a great sign.

AL

So there you have it,
folks. That’s easily the most enjoyable “article” I’ve ever written, and I hope
it was half as much fun to read as it was for me to write. Big thanks again to
Adam for not only participating, but for coming up with the idea in the first
place. Let us know in the comments below what you think of our squads. Where
did we reach for guys? What picks were the best? Or if you don’t already, click
below to follow Adam and myself on Twitter and berate us on there instead.

So, now Lars Anderson is gone and so you'll be following him on a different team, and I am hoping that soon we will be trading one of our pitching prospects (a la Radeke or Bryson), along with Pure Rage, for Mike Morse.

ESPN says Swisher (everybody's favorite) turned us down and I'm hoping we can be the lucky recipient of the Nationals decision to trade Morse instead.